September 2023

What do you mean you lost our travel buggy?

The only thing more terrifying than a Scottish person shouting at you is a Scottish person’s passive agressive vibe. The target of Karen’s ire was the service desk at Singapore Airport after they had lost one of the most important things we travel with.

With a couple of days lined up to explore Singapore we would need it.

Luckily this is Asia and every problem is just a WhatsApp Message away. There was a company that rented buggies out and could deliver to our hotel. Sorted.

Crisis averted the holiday could continue.

The Glam!

Our typical strategy for a trip to Ireland / Scotland from Sydney is to book in a stopover. This time we were able to visit Singapore. John’s second visit and Cillian’s first. Karen was on her 5th visit to the Lion City.

Our first stop on this trip was just across the road from our hotel – Kampong Glam. The Malay-Muslim quarter has certainly had a glow up since our last visit in 2014. There are a lot more trendy bars and cafes and the streets are awash with even more colour in the form of a vibrant street art scene. Back in 1822 the settlement of Singapore was divided into zones for each of the different ethnic groups. This area was gifted to the Sultan and his followers as well as Malay and Arab communities which were mainly merchants.

The area has changed over the years as existing tenants moved out and new ones moved in but you can still taste the original arabic flavours that built this district on Bussorah Street. The centrepiece at the end of the road is the Masjid Sultan mosque – the largest in Singapore.

Walking further south into the city we encountered a number of barricades and fences. The Singaporean Grand Prix race had just finished a day or two before and since it is a city track it would take a few days to put everything back in order. We were just glad to have missed all the hustle.

Down the street from Kampong Glam is Bugis and it’s designer malls and shops. This used to be a busy trading street for chinese speaking Singaporeans and had some colourful night life. Near the south end of the area the shops and malls start to give way to the high rise hotels and office buildings as we neared the bay.

We stopped for some photos at the famous Raffles Hotel and then went for a drink and snack in an underground food court. Raffles Hotel is where the famous Singapore Sling cocktail was invented and you can still order one from the Long Bar in the hotel like we did on our previous trip.

Marina Bay

Heading a little further south we had reached the marina and it’s impressive views across the bay. This is the central part of Singapore containing a number of landmarks built on reclaimed land.

The large towers and what looks like a ship? is called the Marina Bay Sands. This is a casino, hotel, mall, convention centre all rolled into one. It is probably the most iconic building in Singapore.

Next to is a building that looks like a lotus flower. This is the ArtScience museum. At night it lights up.

On our side of the bay is a statue of a large creature – half lion and half mermaid – the Merlion. This is the official mascot of Singapore, the ‘Lion City’. Just behind in the little park under the Esplanade Bridge are smaller version of the statue that Cillian was desperate to touch. The other side of that bridge contains a really old building – in contrast to the towers of glass around it. This is the Fullerton Hotel. Originally commissioned as the General Post Office it became a military hospital during World War 2 and it was here in 1942 that the British surrender to the Japanese was discussed between General Percival and Sir Shenton (Governor). Later the Japanese forces of occupation used it as the headquarters of their administration.

Next to the Fullerton is a riverside walk with a number of sculptures including a large bronze diorama of workers loading sacks onto a bullock cart and a mediation between three characters – a Malay Chief, a Chinese Trader and prominent merchant Alexander Laurie Johnston. A nod to the Singapore River’s past merchant life and the multi-cultural fabric of the city.

Continuing past this is Boat Quay – where the once thriving shophouses and aquatic trade have given away to bars and restaurants.

From there we took transport back to our hotel and went for a dip before getting ready to head back out for some early dinner. We headed for Glutton’s Bay – next to Marina Bay but Cillian had other ideas and slept for most of it. Luckily we had that rented pram so he could snooze while we ate some fantastic satay.

Join us for part two where we spend the day on Sentosa Island, hit up China town for some grub before spending an afternoon in the Botanic Gardens to close out our trip.